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Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

CLax: All-Star teams

First-Team All-Star Ben McCullough pins All-Rookie Team member John St. John to the boards. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Canadian Lacrosse League has announced the 1st and 2nd Team All-Stars for the 2013 season. Niagara Lock Monsters rookie goaltender Connor Danko and teammate Andrew Potter both earned CLax first team honours. In nine regular season games, Danko posted a 7-1 record tying the Clax single season wins record. He also finished second in the league in both goals against average (10.20 GAA) and save percentage (.809). After being selected first overall in the 2013 Clax entry draft, Potter finished second in league scoring registering 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points. READ MORE »

CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Iroquois Ironmen, Ohsweken Demons

CLax playoffs: Underdog Iroquois Ironmen down Ohsweken Demons on buzzer-beater

Chris Attwood, traded from the Oshsweken Demons to the Iroquois Ironmen before the season, scored at the buzzer to help his new team beat his old one. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Sunday’s Canadian Lacrosse League quarter final matchup between the Iroquois Ironmen and Ohsweken Demons came down to the last second. For a few moments, it looked like it may go longer than that. With the game tied 14-14, the Ironmen gained possession with about 15 seconds to play. They were on the power play thanks to a last-minute too many many call against Ohsweken, so they set up for a final attack with goalie Jake Lazore still in the net.

Josh Johnson wound up for a shot as the final seconds ticked away but it hit someone on the way to the net. The ball bounced right to Chris Attwood, who grabbed it in the slot and quickly fired it behind Jake Henhawk almost simultaneously with the buzzer sounding to end the game. There was no initial indication whether or not the goal would count. The referees gathered in their semi-circle by the timekeeper and discussed it. After a few moments, head ref Wayne Paddick stepped away from the group, raised his arms to signal a goal and sent the Ironmen back into a roaring celebration. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Behind the Scenes, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

Blizzard debut blue turf in CLax season finale, beat Shooting Stars

Caleb Wiles, who, amazingly, scored on this play, and the Barrie Blizzard are 1-0 on their new blue turf. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Canadian Lacrosse League is preparing for the playoffs that start this Friday night when the Brampton Inferno play host to the Durham Turfdogs in the first quarter-final. The other quarter-final is a rematch of last year’s Creators Cup championship game when the Ohsweken Demons and Iroquois Ironmen meet at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena Sunday. Before the regular season passed into the rearview mirror, though, the final game held a new twist that CLax is excited about for next year. The Barrie Blizzard unveiled their new blue turf as they won their final game of the season, downing the second-place Toronto Shooting Stars behind a 6-point performance from Caleb Wiles (3g, 3a). The Blizzard, who finished last and will miss the playoffs, none the less played before an enthusiastic crowd reported to be 1,000 strong. The league will sport three of the blue turf floors in 2014, when it returns for its third season. First, of course, there’s the matter of crowning a 2013 champion. The semi-finals will be held Saturday April 20 at the ILA followed by the Creators Cup final the next day at the same venue. Niagara and Toronto, the top two regular season teams, will face the quarter-final winners on the Saturday.

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

CLax: Iroquois Ironmen pull out 14-13 overtime win to bolster playoff hopes

Jerome Thompson was instrumental in the Iroquois Ironmen's 14-13 overtime win Friday night. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Iroquois Ironmen made the Canadian Lacrosse League playoff race a lot more interesting last night by downing the Brampton Inferno 14-13 in overtime. Iroquois leapfrogged the Barrie Blizzard for the sixth and final playoff spot in CLax with the win, but both teams have one game to play. Iroquois can lock up the postseason berth by beating the Durham Turfdogs at 2 pm today in a game that can be seen live via JVI Video webcast. If they don’t, then the Blizzard can snag the berth back by beating the Toronto Shooting Stars at home on Sunday.

Toronto clinched second place and a first-round bye when the Inferno lost yesterday, meaning the playoff picture is almost set. The first-place Niagara Lock Monsters and the Shooting Stars receive a bye to the semi-finals, to be held April 20 at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Creators Cup final is also there the following day. READ MORE »

CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Iroquois Ironmen, Ohsweken Demons

CLax: VanEvery sets new goals record, Demons win a squeaker

Wayne VanEvery is the CLax single-season goal-scoring record holder after a sock trick last night. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Wayne VanEvery scored 6 goals to set the single-season Canadian Lacrosse League record and his Ohsweken Demons needed every one of them to pull out a 15-14 win over the Iroquois Ironmen Friday. VanEvery’s 41-goal total breaks the mark set in last year’s inaugural CLax season when Chris Attwood scored 35. VanEvery fell 3 short of Attwood’s points record of 71, although that is likely to fall in the season’s final couple of weeks. Both Corey Fowley (67) and Andrew Potter (65) are within reach of the mark with a pair of game’s to play, including a matchup with the Barrie Blizzard at 2 pm this afternoon that can be viewed live via a JVI webcast. READ MORE »

CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

Croswell earns win in his first CLax start

Kevin Croswell gave up just 6 goals to earn the win in his first CLax start. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

It didn’t take Kevin Croswell long to get used to the Canadian Lacrosse League, at least if his performance was any indication. Croswell made his first start with the Durham Turfdogs Saturday and was named the first star as he led the club to a 7-6 win over the Ohsweken Demons. He was happy to get the win; in fact, he was happy just to be playing again. “I guess I haven’t really played since early in the summer. I had a little stint there with Philly, getting into a couple of games but no real minutes in the last little while. It felt good to get in there and get a win.”

Croswell said with no knowledge of the league, he had to “just go back to basics: step out, watch the ball and hope for the best.” He was a bit surprised by the calibre of play. “it’s good lacrosse. It’s better than I thought. There’s really good players. You look at that Ohsweken team, they’ve got a lot of players who have played in the NLL or can play in the NLL. So far, so good. We’ll see what next week brings and keep going.” READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

CLax playoff positions slowly taking shape, Creators Cup schedule set

Could this goal by Caleb Wiles (Barrie's last in a 14-9 win) wind up putting the Blizzard into the playoffs? (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The playoff race is heating up in the Canadian Lacrosse League and the playoff schedule has been announced. Six of CLax’s seven teams will make the post-season with the top two receiving first-round byes. The Niagara Lock Monsters are very close to ensuring that they are one of those top two teams. In fact, they would have to lose at least their remaining three games—and have Toronto win out or Brampton win out and beat them by more than 5 goals—to finish lower than first. There is, actually, a scenario in which Niagara, Toronto, Brampton and Ohsweken could all finish tied for first at 9-5, but we won’t get into that unless it is still possible in a couple of weeks. READ MORE »

CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

Lock Monsters solidify first play in CLax with 18-15 win over Shooting Stars

Dylan Llord scored 2 goals and 3 assists in Niagara's win last night over Toronto to extend their lead atop CLax. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VingageLax)

Friday night’s game between the Niagara Lock Monsters and Toronto Shooting Stars was everything you’d expect in a battle for first place in the Canadian Lacrosse League. There were huge swings in momentum, physical but disciplined play and some spectacular transition goals that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. In the end, the Lock Monsters took advantage of a shortened and weary Toronto roster to pull out an 18-15 win that was in doubt until a pair of empty net goals in the final minute. Andrew Potter’s 6 goals and 4 assists moved him into a tie for the league scoring lead with teammate Corey Fowler and led Niagara (9-2), who extended their lead atop CLax to two games over Toronto with the win on the latter’s Mattamy Athletic Centre home floor. READ MORE »

CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, IL Indoor, National Lacrosse League, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Rock

Toronto Rock add veteran lefty forward Roger Vyse to active roster

Roger Vyse (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Nobody’s been able to stop Roger Vyse from scoring in the Canadian Lacrosse League this year, but it appears someone as finally found a way: the veteran  National Lacrosse League forward has returned to the NLL. The Toronto Rock have announced that Vyse has been added to their active roster after being signed to the practice squad a couple of weeks ago. Vyse has been ripping it up in CLax, leading the league with 54 points in nine games with the Ohsweken Demons. The time in CLax may have helped rekindle a side of his game that hadn’t been at the fore over the latter stretch of his seven NLL seasons, as well: besides using his blistering shot to score 21 goals (tied for third in the league), Vyse has been showing some nice touch as a setup man, posting a league-high 33 assists. READ MORE »

Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Iroquois Ironmen, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

Ironmen leave the ranks of the winless, Stars move into first-place tie

Coady Adamson's behind the back goal wasn't enough for Brampton to overcome Toronto. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Iroquois Ironmen’s dynamic duo of Kedoh Hill and Chris Attwood combined for 15 points to lead the team to its first win of the Canadian Lacrosse League season, downing the Ohsweken Demons 17-14 in a game that saw the two teams combine for 130 shots on goal. Hill poured in 4 goals and 5 assists to top all scorers. Attwood had a pair of goals and 4 helpers. Iroquois led 10-8 at the half but trailed 13-11 after the Demons scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter. They turned it back around, though, with 5 straight goals for what turned out to be the winning margin.

Despite the high score, both goalies were honoured among the game’s three stars. Iroquois Jake Lazore stopped 47 of the 61 shots he faced to earn the win. At the other end of the floor, Jeff Powless was even busier. The Ironmen directed 69 shots on goal, of which Powless managed to turn aside 52. READ MORE »